Solvang shops, restaurants relatively empty as people stay inside amid coronavirus
SOLVANG, Calif. - The coronavirus is impacting business all across the Central Coast, including tourism hot spot, Solvang.
The city is normally bustling on the weekends and filled with tourists, but that wasn't the case Sunday.
Just a few shoppers were out along Copenhagen Drive around lunchtime Sunday.
Solvang Restaurant's walk-up window, where visitors will line up to purchase aebleskivers, was closed. There are typically a few dozen people lined up outside the restaurant at any given time to purchase the Danish treat, especially on Sundays. A sign was posted in the window, saying customers could grab take-out orders inside the restaurant.
Solvang Park in the heart of town was almost empty. There was rain in the forecast, but even when the sun peaked out in the afternoon, there were only a handful of people in the park.
The normal "Solvang traffic" was also nowhere to be found.
One bakery worker we spoke with said she had two recent shifts canceled on her because business has been so slow.
One spot that did appear to have decent crowds was at the popular Paula's Pancake House, but still appeared significantly less busy than normal.
On Friday, Solvang Mayor Ryan Toussaint sent a message to people who live in the city, saying "while the safety and wellbeing of our community is of first concern, the economic state of our area and its businesses is obviously of equal importance."
He called on members of the community who are healthy to make an extra effort to support local businesses. He also mentioned that many local restaurants were offering take-out and to-go or delivery options instead of hosting guests in their dining rooms.
"Your patronage will make all the difference as we weather this storm, in an attempt to incur the least amount of economic impact possible," Toussaint said.
Santa Barbara County ordered mandatory "social distancing" on Thursday in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Since then, many people have been staying inside their homes, but experts say it's still safe to be in nature or order take-out from restaurants.
For more tips on social distancing, click here.
